The atomic force microscope is a now well-known device in which the topography of a sample is sensed by a tip mounted on the end of a microfabricated cantilever. As the sample is scanned, the interaction of atomic forces between the nanometer-sharp tip and the sample surface causes pivotal deflection of the cantilever. The sample topography is determined by detecting this deflection. The AFM technology has also been applied to the field of data storage with a view to providing a new generation of high-density, high data-rate data storage devices for mass-memory applications. AFM-based data storage is described in detail in IBM Journal of Research & Development, Volume 44, No. 3, May 2000, pp323–340, “The ‘Millipede’—More Than One Thousand Tips for Future AFM Data Storage”, Vettiger et al., and the references cited therein. Here, the cantilever-mounted tip is used for reading and writing of data on the surface of a data storage medium. The basic principles of the cantilever design and the read and write operations are summarized briefly below.